A Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol (partially illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 10), and its clones, utilize a barrel bushing (8) which is rotatably affixed in pistol slide (10). The purpose of the barrel bushing (8) is to retain and align the pistol's barrel (9), recoil spring and spring plunger (7) inside the pistol's slide (10) to facilitate correct operation of this pistol type. When this type of handgun is in need of repair and/or cleaning service, the barrel bushing (8) requires removal in order that the barrel (9) and subsequent components of the pistol may be disassembled.
In order to effectively remove and subsequently reinstall the barrel bushing (8), recoil spring and spring plunger (7), the operator uses a bushing wrench to remove the barrel bushing (8).
The following U.S. Patents, which are herein incorporated by reference, describe and illustrate existing bushing wrenches: U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,432; U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,450; U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,667; U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,634; U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,862; U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,411; U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,060; U.S. D407,958; and U.S. D603,233.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,411 describes a tool for the partial disassembly of a firearm, and in particular to a tool for rotating and/or removing a pistol barrel bushing or plug.
Conventional style barrel bushing wrenches do not incorporate the retention and controlled delivery of the recoil spring and spring plunger (7) during the time of unlocking or locking of the barrel bushing (8) (FIGS. 5 and 6), resulting in unwanted lack of control of the disassembly of the firearm.
The operator is required to manipulate their off-hand and fingers at the time of locking or unlocking of the barrel bushing (8), so that the recoil spring and spring plunger (7) are placed in their desired position with respect to barrel bushing (8) and pistol slide (10).
The receiving recess (12) allows the bushing wrench (1), and operator, to establish and maintain greater control over the removal and installation of spring plunger (7) by means of fully enclosed surface contact to the tip of spring plunger (7), thus providing radial and axial containment when linear compression is given to spring plunger (7).
Full containment of spring plunger (7) is only permissible because the bushing wrench (1) of the invention is equipped with the means of releasing spring plunger (7) by way of reciprocating ejection plunger assembly (3, 4, 5) being selectively activated when time of release is deemed necessary by bushing wrench (1) operator.
A bushing wrench has not heretofore particularly lent itself to ease of operation and, in particular, the increased safety aspects afforded by the present invention during operation of a pistol.